Canada defeats Cuba and advances to the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals for the first time

SAN JUAN. – Canada defeated Cuba 7-2 and secured its qualification to the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Baseball Classic, also achieving first place in Group A in a match played at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

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With the victory, the Canadians advance for the first time in their history to this stage of the tournament with a 3-1 record, surpassing Puerto Rico (baseball team) in the group standings, who also finished with a 3-1 record but with a lower run difference. The triumph was spearheaded by a solid performance from pitcher Cal Quantrill, who worked five innings in which he allowed only one unearned run and two hits, in addition to issuing a walk and striking out five batters. The Canadian offense took the lead in the third inning with a sacrifice fly by Owen Caissie and extended the lead in the fifth inning with a solo home run by Abraham Toro. Although Cuba scored a run in the fifth inning, Canada responded with a three-run rally in the sixth chapter. Bo Naylor drove in one with a double and Otto López drove in two more with a single to put the score at 5-1. The Cubans scored again in the seventh inning thanks to a run-producing hit by Ariel Martínez, but Josh Naylor responded with an unstoppable RBI in the eighth to maintain the Canadian lead. In the ninth inning, Caissie reappeared to extend the lead and seal Canada’s definitive victory by 7-2. With this result, Cuba bids farewell to the tournament in the group stage with a 2-2 record, after having reached the semifinals in the previous edition of the World Baseball Classic. Meanwhile, Canada awaits a rival for the quarterfinals, which will come from Group B between Mexico, the United States, and Italy.